Apple

Apple iOS 14.5 will arrive this month; highlighted features of the new update

Sushmit Mukherji

Apr 05,2024
2 min read
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1.81 thousand Views

Apple's upcoming update, iOS 14.5 is currently in the beta stage and is expected to arrive this spring. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple confirmed to technology reporter Kara Swisher on the New York Times’ Sway podcast on Monday, that the much-awaited update would arrive this month. Claimed to be the biggest update to the previous version, it packs a lot of new and essential features.

Here are some of the highlighted features of the upcoming iOS 14.5:

Unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask

During the pandemic, the iPhone’s face recognition feature proved to be ineffective when your face is covered with a mask. Thus, Apple decided to solve this feature by utilizing the Apple watch. One of the biggest features of iOS 14.5 is going to be the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch when you are wearing a mask. However, it still requires your face ID or passcode.

Two new Siri voices and over 200 new emojis

In the upcoming update, Apple's virtual assistant Siri will get two new voices along with the ability to choose your default voice for Siri when setting up for the first time. Also, Siri's AI may be getting a revamp so that it can adapt to your listening preferences quite easily. However, this feature is not confirmed for the final release.

Apple will introduce a total of 217 new emojis in its upcoming update. Some notable emojis include a redesigned vaccine syringe with the blood removed, couples kissing, couple with heart, faces with spiraling eyes, among others.

Transparency in App tracking

This new feature makes it mandatory for developers to ask users for consent before tracking them across multiple apps and services. This decision has received a lot of criticism from big developers, including Facebook and this has led to a war of words among the two giants in recent times.

Cook defended Apple’s decision to enforce its App Tracking Transparency policy and said that it was possible to make money from digital advertising without tracking people without their knowledge.

Battery recalibration

The iOS 14.5 will introduce a battery recalibration feature, which would basically display the health status of the battery of your device. The new feature will recalibrate the maximum battery capacity and peak performance capabilities and will address the battery health issue in iPhone 11 models.

Support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X wireless controllers and dual-SIM 5G

In the upcoming update, Apple is adding support for a PlayStation 5 DualSense or Xbox Series X/S controller. This will allow users to play games on their iPhones or iPad using PS5 and Xbox Series X/S controllers. Also, iPhone 12 will soon support dual-SIM 5G, giving both the phone’s physical SIM and e-SIM access to 5G.